Let's get wet!

In summer 2008, I offered myself a trip to Ireland in order to celebrate my 30th birthday. A few friends joined me and we decided to visit the west coast of the island from Killorglin (attending the Puck Fair) to Sligo.

On one of the chilly days, with a storm lurking behind the mountains, we decided to stop and have a swim in the ocean.
We found a little path down to an empty beach north of Dingle before reaching O'Connor Pass.

The beach was empty, apart from a few solitary joggers. There was a very light rain and the huge clouds were rolling fast to strike us.
I walked around trying to find a nice spot for a shot. I found this fence surrounding a section of the beach. I just had time to test a few shots before the rain drops became bigger. I had to put my camera away.

I guess we had no choice but to get wet! Either swim or get caught in the storm.

Well, at least I got a cool shot!

Words can kill

Have you ever been told some things that ended up hurting you?

I came up with the idea of this conceptual shot while remembering the harsh words I have been told by someone close to me. Those words really hurt me deeply from inside and left scars that took many years to heal.

We often forget the power of words. Blows can leave physical marks that could take a few days to disappear but words strike you from inside and might take years to heal.
We all have hears stories of teenagers being bullied in schools, parents being harsj with their children, upset friends unleashing their anger over those close to them.. Ugly, useless, Fat, Stupid... those words can really change a person.

To convey this feeling, I wanted to show the violence of the words by using what characterizes violence the most: Blood.
I used a fountain pen and some fake blood and carefully composed the shot. I actually tried many versions before choosing this one. Originally I wanted to add some words on the paper but ended up removing them. The sharpness and blood dripping from the pen shows that words can be used as weapons.

I took this indoor, on a white sheet of paper with an external flash bouncing on the wall.
I shot this at 1/15s, ISO 200 and f/5.6 (I don't know why I chose to shoot at such slow shutterspeed! Have to be more careful).
I then processed the photo a bit in Photoshop to adjust the levels/curves and add the frame/title.

I was glad to see that this photo reached many people as it was a daily feature on DeviantArt.
Be careful people, words are weapons sharper than steel.

Long absence

Hello everyone!

Happy belated New Year and best wishes for a 2009 full of Love, Health, Laughter, Joy, Abundance and Dreams.

Sorry for the long absence and lack of update. I have been kept busy during December and went on holiday to France.

I am back on track now and ready to post new photos very soon.

Thank you for following and have a great time!

Cheers!